Paranesti is a picturesque village that is 47km far from Drama, on the road from Drama to Xanthi, through Stavroupoli. The Museum of Natural History was opened there, in October 2002. The museum was created in the framework of the Operational Program «Environment» of PE.CHO.DE. (Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works) and belongs to the Municipal Development Enterprise of Paranesti.

It aims to bring the world into contact with the natural environment of Rhodope and the Nestos River valley and be a gateway to the ecosystem of the region, with great biological and geological diversity.

Inside the museum, there is a large relief map, depicting Rhodope Mountains and a table for mammals, reptiles, nocturnal raptors and amphibians.

After the relief map, there is a showcase, relevant to the geology of the Rhodope, minerals and rocks of the area (granites, rhyolith, sandstone, augengneiss, pegmatites) and rocks from other areas of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. The second and third showcase exposes land snails and arthropods (spiders, scorpions, isopods, myriapod, etc.) and samples of mosses, lichens, fungi and ferns.

Other displays of exhibits show the natural environment of the area (e.g. Rhodope coniferous forests, logging, alpine meadow, estuaries, lagoons and shrub lands) and finally, the local economy (agriculture, livestock and alternative tourism).

However, children are directed to the centre of the exhibition space, where many stuffed animals and birds are exposed, such as sparrow hawk, otter, coypu, chamois, fox, Tawny, wolf, fir bird, green tisklitara, Saini and boar.